Italy stride closer to U19 qualification

Italy edged closer to a place in the UEFA European Under-19 Championship finals after a comfortable victory against Poland.

Daniele Zoratto's side lead elite round Group 4 by two points from the Republic of Ireland, who they play on Sunday knowing a draw will be sufficient to secure a berth at July's final tournament in Romania.

Italy immediately took control, opening the scoring on 14 minutes, Mario Sampirisi linking well with Stephan El Shaarawy before driving into the penalty area and slotting the ball into the net. Poland showed good character and hit back six minutes before the break through Michał Żyro.

Poland began the second half in buoyant fashion but were made to rue their lack of fortune in front of goal when Giacomo Beretta fed Nadir Minotti, who finished with aplomb to restore Italy's advantage. With ten minutes remaining, Federico Viviani put the result beyond doubt with a perfectly-placed free-kick.

"It was a difficult match because Poland proved to be a strong opponent," said Zoratto. "We had lot of chances and we were more clinical than Poland. This game cost us a lot of energy, so we have to recover quickly before the decisive match against Ireland."